. . .because Morris, Minnesota, is a pleasant, quiet, safe yet intellectually stimulating place on the west central Minnesota prairie, home of the U of M-Morris and a whole lot of interesting people. - morris mn

"You'll never get ahead if you don't take care of what you have." - Doris Waddell, RIP

A historic building on our U of M-Morris campus - morris mn

The multi-ethnic building was the original home of the music department at UMM. (B.W. photo)

Saturday, September 12, 2015

At age 60, a time for reflection

An old high school friend
was in town recently. These conversations can be predictable. We talk
about the infirmities of our parents. Many of my age have said goodbye
to their parents. In the case of this friend, a new development is that
his mother is in a nursing home. This had to be done even though family
members were available to be with her all the time.

Strange how God
created us to become so delicate. Medical science is a miracle for
extending life. On the flip side, age does catch up with all of us. It's
even catching up to us boomers even though we always swore it wouldn't.
Granted, 70 may be the new 60 or whatever. Still, we deal with mounting
health issues at some point, and it's not pleasant no matter when it
happens.
I turned age 60 this past January. We get philosophical as
we reach the various age milestones. I'll quote Dean Chance, the
Minnesota Twins pitcher of the 1960s: "Everybody, by the time they're
50, they're selfish as hell. Everybody thinks only of himself or
herself. Then, when they hit 60, they want to return to religion and
want to forgive everybody. They want to go to heaven, and that's the
stage I'm in."
My generation was slow getting into the mainstream of
church-going. A few of us decided to become overly zealous about
religion, as if it was an all-or-nothing proposition. We were great for
getting obsessed about certain things or causes - a trait that made us
the complete opposite of our parents.
My Morris High class had its
40-year reunion in 2013. A shrinking number can even talk about their
parents in the present tense. We are simply following the path of all
generations. We find we are less and less relevant for the cultural
trends in bloom.
In another ten years, our children will be watching over us out of concern we're getting brittle. The great Doug Rasmusson
wrote about this. Doug would be having a field day with the Internet.
He did the best he could in his time, getting self-published. Doug wrote
that at a certain advanced age, he found his children would pay
occasional visits, not just for the inherent joy of being with parents,
but to "check on" the parents in a spying sort of way - sorry if that
word is blunt.
Doug imagined the two children touching base with
each other after each visit, wondering if the parents were indeed fit to
stay at home longer. He pointed out an example of what might prompt
concern by the kids: a peanut butter jar in the cupboard with the lid
off. A sign of declining mental faculty or just a typical cutting of
corners that anyone might commit? Well, Doug sensed what was going on.
My
family has had two visits from Human Services, one for each of my
parents. It's rather unnerving. You are always put on the defensive.
Secondly, with many very old people, you cannot create a perfect
day-to-day lifestyle for them. There are going to be some struggles and
some physical hurdles that cannot be completely overcome. If you're my
age, you know exactly what I'm talking about.
I remember an
impassioned letter to the editor in the Star Tribune. It implored us to
realize that in many cases of alleged elder neglect or abuse, there
really are two sides to the story. Elderly people can become angry that
they are being forced, often by the children, to give up some of their freedoms. Simply put, growing old is difficult.
At
age 60, I'm prompted at this time of year to think back to school.
School was enjoyable for me through the sixth grade. It became steadily
miserable after that. To this day, I wonder why it isn't good enough to
simply master basic arithmetic - adding, subtracting, multiplying and
dividing - and to memorize multiplication tables. Those tables were
burned into my mind. Eight times eight is 64.
I don't know why I had
to be dragged into so-called advanced math, where you're confronted
with all the theoretical stuff. My self-esteem was slammed as I realized
I couldn't cut it. At a certain point I probably got excused from some
of these requirements on a wink-wink basis by administration. I think
this is called "mainstreaming," to leave a kid progressing with his
peers even if he's clearly stumbling.
Reading and writing? That was
my bread and butter. This is why I might have gotten excused from the
other stuff. "How can Williams be so hopeless" when he clearly can write
well? If only the teacher knew that my literacy came more from
"unapproved" reading sources, like comic books, Mad Magazine and sports
magazines, rather than school reading assignments.
School reading
assignments? Why in the world did we have John Steinbeck thrust at us?
Or Jack London? Or Herman Melville? Maybe Steinbeck was relevant in the
1930s. Maybe George Orwell projected a certain fascination at a certain
time. I found his "Animal Farm" to be depressing and political.
Today
with the Internet enabling so many people to share their writing skills
with so many, it seems stupid to even pay attention to the "classic"
authors. What made them "classic?" They wrote at a time when getting
published was a very restricted proposition - the opposite of today. The
barriers to distribution have come down.
I remember a Morris High
instructor telling us not to quote from American Heritage Magazine,
because it was "superficial." Spoken like a typical pretentious academic
boor. Our schools were full of them then.
I question why kids even
need to be pushed so hard in school today. The jobs of the future will
be designed to impose minimal mental strain or demands. That's so the
pay level can be kept low. If it helps to have pictures on the buttons
you push, so be it. Only if you're destined to be a corporate leader do
you really have to push your education to a high level.
Most of the best learning is done on the job anyway. May John Steinbeck rest in peace.

Summer scenes around Morris, 2012

Click on the image to view a Flickr album of photos taken around the Morris area in the warm weather months of 2012. This group includes photos taken at the 2012 UMM graduation. The image above taken near Perkins Lake was chosen for display in the "Minnesota Explorers" Flickr gallery which is linked to Rick Kupchella's "Bring Me the News" MN website. Also chosen was a field of sunflowers photo I took. I'm delighted to have such platforms available. - B.W.

Past MACA Tiger football photos:

City of Morris perspective:

Pin it on your chest!

Click on the above image to access our "City Data" page.

Morris Theater - morris mn

Click on this image to read thoughts/reflections on our Morris Theater, which is hanging on through changing times (as a co-op). There is a link at the bottom of this post to read part 2 as well. These posts were written in spring of 2010 so there are some dated references. Any Morris native can spin some fond recollections of enjoying cinema fare there with friends.

Enjoy some fall scenery around Morris:

Enjoy some winter scenes around Morris:

Sam Smith statue - morris mn

Click on the image to read about the Sam Smith "running rifleman" statue at Summit Cemetery. This post explores the life of Samuel Smith, early Morris resident. He fought for the Union cause in several major engagements in the Civil War. The statue is patterned after the statue for the First Minnesota Regiment at Gettysburg National Park. This post is the newest of three that I have written about Sam Smith. I consider it the most comprehensive about the man. The statue can be an overlooked landmark of Morris MN. Everyone here ought to be familiar with it. Smith raised a large family north of Morris.

The first building here

In 1871 the first building erected within the village of Morris was the headquarters of the chief engineer of the railroad, C.H.F. Morris. With the railroad came the people.

The WCROC overlook

A nice view to the west is afforded from the WCROC overlook. It's a relatively new feature of the WCROC grounds. Specifically it's part of the WCROC Horticulture Garden. Click on the image to reach the West Central Research and Outreach Center (WCROC) website. Les Lindor was instrumental in making the overlook a reality. He served the West Central Experiment Station (the entity predating the WCROC) as ag engineer.

Stay informed about Stevens County MN:

Morris' music mecca:

Words to live by

This original and popular sign can be seen from the highway between Morris and Cyrus. It's associated with the late Dan Helberg. There used to be a sculpture next to it but perhaps it was removed due to legal restrictions (i.e. as a distraction). The sign has the thumbs-up for which we are grateful. Let's always heed these words.

Some spring/summer photo scenes:

The bike trail system

Call it both a walking and bicycling trail. It snakes along both the east and west sides of our Pomme de Terre River. You can do a complete lap which reportedly measures 4 1/2 miles. It's a fitness challenge for those willing to push their bodies a little! This photo was taken on the east side of the river, heading toward Lake Crissey (a wide spot on the river). Spring is a great time to get out there.

Our area's history:

Remembering "ag school"

From the time it accepted its first class in 1910, until it graduated its final class of seniors in 1963, over 7,000 students attended the West Central School of Agriculture. The precursor of the U of M-Morris, it opened its doors to its first class of 103 students in October of 1910.

Wildflowers out by the river

Click on this image to reach the "Minnesota wildflowers" website. This photo was taken on the west side of our Pomme de Terre River.

Before the current library

In 1921 the Stevens County Memorial Armory was built on the 100 block of East 6th Street, the site which is now occupied by the Morris Public Library.1969 saw the opening of the new Morris Public Library on the site of the old armory, leaving vacant the Carnegie building. The Historical Society found a new home in the Carnegie building in 1970.

A suggested restaurant

About Me

Brian Williams is a former writer in the Morris "dead tree" media who plies his pastime in the wonderful, liberating new media today. He refuses to consider himself an alternative journalist because the web is now the mainstream. Newspapers are in rapid retreat and it won't be long before they will exist in vestigial form only. Print media will not die because as a media observer put it: "We will always have print media for as long as there's a 'print' button on your computer." A once weekly newspaper (like in Morris) won't cut it. It's not consistent with our instant gratification culture. But the media are blossoming more than ever thanks to all the new tools. It's an uplifting, "green" new universe. Key word suggestions: morris mn - hancock mn - donnelly mn - cyrus mn - chokio mn - alberta mn - 56267 - stevens county - morris theater mn - morris area tigers - hancock owls.

Buy a car:

Pomme de Terre or Perkins?

Most maps identify it as "Perkins Lake" but it's known as Pomme de Terre to many local residents. The sign at the entry to the lake access uses the Pomme de Terre term, so that seems legitimate. This lake is part of a chain that represent wide spots on the Pomme de Terre River. Pomme de Terre Lake is useful for recreation and fishing, plus there are many fine residences along the shoreline. The chain is located several miles north of Morris.

A Destiny Driver. . .

"I Love Morris" is consistent with one of the "destiny drivers" as articulated by Stevens Forward! (named for Stevens County): "By 2010 we will enhance our interconnectedness by better utilizing the technology infrastructure to create a virtual community." (2010 is already here but this is always a "work in progress!")

We're the "Storm" in hockey

Click on this image to reach the official website of the Morris Benson Area "Storm" hockey program. Of course it's "MBA" for short. In Morris these teams play at the Lee Community Center, next to the fairgrounds.

B.W.'s country music memories, 1996-97:

Your Congressman:

Maintain perspective:

Main street of Morris mn

Atlantic Avenue is the main street of Morris and it's typically abuzz. Click on the above image to reach the Stevens County Economic Improvement Commission website.

Gager's Station

The first stopping place in Stevens County was Gager's Station, considered by some historians to be one of the more important stopping plces on the Wadsworth Trail. The station was nestled among the trees near Wintermute Lake.

VIDEO CLIPS

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The Eagles huddle

Blue is the color of the Morris amateur baseball team which goes by the nickname "Eagles." They're pictured about to break a pre-game huddle at their home: Chizek Field, named for the late Don Chizek who coached the Morris High Tigers for many years. The Tigers now have their own veteran coach in Lyle Rambow. Lyle had a successful playing career with the Eagles.

RIP jazz band leaders:

Best dog you could own:

"Dog is my co-pilot":

Superb early-morning TV:

Wind turbines - morris mn

There are two grand wind turbines such as this one on the eastern edge of Morris. It appears glistening white in this photo but they often are dark, silhouetted against the bright sky. A photographer never tires of them. They have become sustainable symbols of the community.

A trail of long ago here

The Wadsworth Trail was established by the U.S. Government in 1864 to transport supplies from St. Cloud to Fort Wadsworth, west of present day Sisseton, South Dakota.

No longer just a comedian:

She's upstaging Jim Klobuchar now:

Visit our McDonald's

It's a hotspot for dependable fast food and, just as important, socializing: our McDonald's Restaurant on the north end of Atlantic Avenue.

Our park in west Morris

Wells Park, located near Pacific Avenue and West 11th Street, was established in 1916 on land donated to the city by Henry Wells (a successful businessman and land investor) and Margaret Hulburd. Additional land was donated in 1935 by the Wells Investment Company, and in 1980 by Grace Zamerow.